Newark Oil Sheen Dissipates, Source Remains Unknown

New York – The source of a mystery oil sheen discovered 11 a.m. Sunday in Newark Bay, N.J., remains unknown. All of the visible sheen has dissipated.

Coast Guard Sector New York was initially notified by a Sandy Hook pilot aboard the motor vessel HS Bizet. Other vessel operators also reported sighting the sheen throughout the afternoon.

A Coast Guard Auxiliary overflight Sunday confirmed a sheen in the Kill Van Kull extending through Newark Bay and into the Hackensack River. Overflights today confirm the absence of any remaining sheen.

Coast Guard pollution investigators collected samples of a diesel-like product and tested them against oil and bilge samples of merchant vessels in the port area. No match was found.

“The Coast Guard remains puzzled about the source of this spill, however we are reasonably satisfied that this sheen caused only a very minor impact on our environment,” said Chief Warrant Officer Stephen Sapp, Coast Guard Public Affairs Detachment New York Public Affairs Officer.

“It’s never a good thing to introduce a petroleum product into our waterways but our silver lining is that this is an easily dissipating diesel product,” said Sapp.